An Unlikely Truce
by SmileySloth
Summary: The turtles were enjoying a relaxing day of hanging out in the lair with April when things suddenly took a turn for the worst. Now, held prisoner by their arch enemy, Donnie is the only hope they have left. Can he save his family in time? (Set in the 2012 cartoon, before season 2)
1. Chapter 1

"I have three kings! Is that good?"

"Mikey, you have no idea how to play go fish, do you?" said Leo with a sigh, giving his younger brother an exasperated look.

"Well, I ain't complaining," said Raph, "Mikey – you got any kings?"

"Don't be mean, Raph," April scolded, "You can't take advantage of his lack of knowledge."

"Why not?" Leo asked, actually sounding perplexed.

"Because… because it's unfair!" April exclaimed. She glanced over to where Splinter was standing, a few feet away. "Back me up here please master Splinter!"

"April is right. It is unfair to take advantage of Michelangelo's lack of experience." Leo and Raaph bowed their heads and Splinter's words, feeling guilty. "And that is exactly why you should do it. Deal me a hand April."

"What?" April spluttered as Splinter came over, giving no sign that he was joking.

"In battle, a good warrior takes advantage of his enemy's weaknesses."

"This isn't battle, it's a card game!" protested April.

"True. But it's more fun this way."

"All right!" yelled Raph triumphantly.

"You're the best, Master Splinter," said Leo.

"I… have no idea what's going on…" Mikey said, sounding very confused. April decided that she had had enough of this. Passing her cards to Master Splinter, she went to go and see what Donnie was doing… and then realised she hadn't seen him all evening.

"Hey guys… where's Donnie?"

"No idea," said Raph, "Probably locked himself up in him lab or something."

"Hey that's right; I haven't seen him since this morning. He said he was going to set up surveillance cameras in the sewers as extra security – but that was hours ago. I wonder where he could have got to…" Leo trailed off and looked at April a little sheepishly, "I hadn't really noticed he was missing."

"Well maybe I'll go look for him."

"Aww, April's all worried about her _boyfriend,_" Mikey teased, "Raph, have you got any threes?"

"Dammit! I swear, you must be the luckiest guy alive! I thought you didn't know how to play this game?" Raph grumbled as he gave over his cards.

"I guess I'm just a natural." Mikey smirked. Raph growled in response but didn't say anything. Just then, Donnie came rushing into the lair carrying his laptop in one arm. He was out of breath and looked like he'd been running.

"Guys!" he exclaimed frantically and April was immediately on edge. The others didn't even look up from their game.

"We were just talking about you, Don. Where'd you get to?" Leo asked calmly.

"Never mind that, we have a serious problem!"

"What is it this time, Bucketbrain, one of you toy cameras break?" Raph said with a yawn.

"One of my cameras' picked up a group of men in the East sewer. I think there looking for us!" Donnie exclaimed. He rushed forward and shoved his laptop in Leo's face.

"Woah, slow down Donnie," Leo said, Donnie had everyone's attention now. Raph reached over and took the laptop to see what Don was talking about "How do you know there not just… tourists, or something?"

"Tourists? In the sewer? Since when is that likely?"

"Guys, I think Donnie's got a point," Raph was staring at the computer's screen in disbelief.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Leo sharply. Raph looked up with wide eyes and turned the laptop round so everybody could see the screen.

"It's the Shredder," he said.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Can't promise regular updates but I actually have some of this written so... here's chapter 2 :)

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The turtles, Splinter and April stared at the laptop in horrified silence for a long time. In one of the nearby tunnels stood their arch nemesis, calmly surveying his surroundings with a look of mild interest. His armour reflexed the tiny amount light present, giving it an evil gleam that highlighted the sharp points on his helmet and shoulders. Eventually Splinter came to his senses and began to take charge of the situation.

"My sons, it appears we are in grave danger."

"Not necessarily, Master Splinter," reasoned Leo quickly, "It's not hard to guess that we live in the sewers; maybe he's just doing a sweep search. There's nothing to say that he knows where the lair is." Just then a loud crash sounded from somewhere in the sewer tunnels.

"Er, that was the preliminary door being destroyed," Donnie said, causing the others to gasp in fear.

"You were saying, Fearless?" Raph muttered.

"Not now, Raphael!" snapped Splinter, "We must flee, and quickly."

"Why? We should stay and fight!" Raph flicked his wrists and spun his sai menacingly, but Splinter shook his head.

"No. We cannot win this fight."

"Master Splinter's right, Raph. We can't defeat the Shredder and the Foot and you know it. We've tried and failed before." Leo cut in, attempting to stop the argument before it had even begun. Raph sighed but nodded, putting his weapons away.

"So, what's the plan Fearless?" The others all turned to Leo for guidance. Another crash sounded and everybody flinched. April was shaking with terror.

"Secondary door," Donnie whispered, although it was unnecessary as everybody could guess what had happened.

"OK, here's the plan," Leo said decisively after a moment of consideration, "We split up and all take different routes. April, you go with Master Splinter and head for the north west pipe line. Raph, you take north east, Mikey will go south and Don goes west."

"What about you?" Mikey asked and Leo bit his lip.

"I'm going for the eastern tunnels," he replied quietly.

"But that's right into the Foot's ranks!" exclaimed Don, "It's too dangerous."

"If this is going to work, we'll need someone to distract them. That's my job."

"But…" Mikey persisted, but he was cut off by a third crash; much closer this time.

"There's no time to argue! Just go!" Leo shouted. He was relieved to see that his brothers offered no more arguments, instead heading off in the direction he'd told them – albeit reluctantly. Master Splinter ushered April in front of him and turned back to his eldest briefly.

"Good luck, Leonardo." Leo smiled grimly and turned to face his enemy head on.

The Shredder forced his way into the turtle's lair to find Leonardo waiting for him weapons drawn. Splinter was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Splinter, turtle?" he demanded, "Tell me and your death will be swift."

"Sorry, no deal Shredder. I will defend Master Splinter until I die." Leo stood his ground and prepared to fight. The Shredder sighed.

"I don't have time for this." Before Leo could react, the Shredder threw a strange device at the turtle. The device attached itself to his chest with sharp claws and Leo felt an electric shock flow through him. He dropped his weapons and fell to the floor, completely defenceless. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was the Shredder giving commands to his soldiers.

"Find them. But take them alive – I want the pleasure of killing them myself."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Not entirely happy with this chapter but I felt like I needed to have more Donnie. Hopefully the next update will be better. Please review and tell me how I can improve!

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The floor was cold and damp beneath his feet and Donnie almost slipped several times in his hurry to get away. Behind him he could hear the muted sound of foot soldiers in pursuit. He tried to ignore the thoughts running round his head that told him Leo was already dead. He couldn't believe that his leader would be that easily defeated even if he was massively outnumbered and outmatched.

He turned a corner sharply, ducking his head as he did so to avoid the low hanging pipe blocking his way. This was his home and he knew these sewers like the back of his hand, but the foot soldiers following him didn't have that same advantage. Sure enough, a few seconds later he heard a loud clunk and muffled swearing as some of the men ran full pelt into the metal pipe. Donnie suppressed a grin and kept running.

He couldn't be sure how many were following him, or even if they were all foot soldiers. He wasn't sure he was up for taking on a bunch of foot-bots on his own, even with the advantage of being in the sewers. So the best thing to do would be to get away and meet up with the others so they could regroup and plan what to do next. It was the logical decision. _Supposing of course, that there are any of them left to meet you with you, _a voice in his head said treacherously and Donnie clenched his fist with some emotion that wasn't quite anger, wasn't quite worry, but somewhere in between.

_They'll be fine, _he told himself, but he couldn't quite believe it. What hope did Leo have, on his own against the Shredder? The sword-wielding turtle was one of the best warriors Donnie had ever seen. He was quick and clever and prided himself on his level-head during combat – but even he couldn't hope to win against such and enemy. And what about Raph and Mikey? Master Splinter? And, come to think of it, April too? Donnie almost felt his heart stop as he thought about the feisty red-head who had fought her way into his heart so fast that he'd barely noticed what had happened. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her. He could already feel his heart breaking and the thought of her hurt, her eyes glazed over and lifeless, her body cold and still beneath his hands… no. He didn't have time to think about this right now. He needed to concentrate on getting away.

It would be a risk-free bet to say that Raph wouldn't be doing the same thing. He could practically see the hot-headed turtle slowing to a stop a few metres down the pipe line, his anger and sense of honour not letting him keep running, and then him turning to face the enemy head on with a snarl on his face. He could have a chance as long as he wasn't overrun, but Donnie couldn't help the sinking feeling that he wouldn't make it.

Donnie wasn't the praying type, primarily because he didn't believe in God. He was a scientist and a rationalist and couldn't put his faith in something that he couldn't explain. But right then he prayed. He prayed that his brothers would be safe and would emerge mostly unscathed from this latest disaster. He prayed that the Shredder would fail once again and that his Master would remain the better of the two. He prayed that April would survive to be reunited with her father again. And most of all, he prayed that whatever happened his family would not be destroyed.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Massive thank you to anyone who's reviewed! You guys rock.

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Leonardo was surprised to find that he was still alive the next morning. He wasn't surprised, however, to find that he ached all over. He blinked and tried to lift his head, but his vision blurred at the sudden movement and he had to take a moment to compose himself.

Leo tried to move again, but found that he was chained to the wall by his wrists and the restraints dug into his skin. He gasped in pain.

"Looks like Fearless is finally waking up," said a voice to his left. Leo's heart sank at the words. He tried to turn his head to the source of the voice, but found it too painful.

"Raph…?" he croaked, his voice sounding sore. Raph snorted.

"Who else would it be?" he asked bitterly.

"You got captured too?"

"Yeah, and not just me. Mikey, April and Master Splinter are here too, but only Mikey's awake." Leo's heart ached painfully as Raph spoke, almost unable to believe the words.

"How you feeling, bro?" Mikey asked, but Leo decided to ignore the question; instead asking one of his own.

"April and Master Splinter got caught too?"

"Yeah."

"What about Don?"

"We haven't seen him," Mikey said quietly. Suddenly he whimpered. "You don't think the Shredder… got rid of him, do you?"

"I'll kill him if he has," threatened Raph with and growl. Leo frowned.

"I'm sure Donnie's fine, Mikey. Maybe he didn't get caught."

"I hope so. Then maybe we've got a chance of getting out of here." Mikey replied. Leo and Raph were surprised that Mikey was actually thinking rationally for once. Pressure does strange things to people.

"You know, I only got one question," said Raph.

"What's that?"

"If the Shredder's captured us – why aren't we dead yet?" Leo was annoyed at his brother's lack of tack, but that was a question that had been nagging him too.

"I guess we'll find out soon," he replied grimly.

Somewhere in Tokyo, Aguri Totsuka reread the email he'd just received in disbelief. He would have considered it a prank if it were not for the photos included. He'd had them double and triple checked – they were real. Aguri's hands shook with excitement – if Oroku had what he said he had… It was the scientific discovery of the decade, the century even! But then, Oroku Saki was not known for his trustworthiness… Aguri would have to make sure first.

He returned to his computer and quickly wrote a reply. He hit the send button before he could change he mind and immediately began to look for a flight to New York. He had to finish his work here first, but he could be out there in 5 weeks, maybe 4… Oh, if Oroku has what he says he has! He would be rich! A real life sentient mutant. More than one in fact! The possibilities were endless.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **So this chapter is a little rambling... not sure I'm completely happy about it. Please review!

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Hours of fruitlessly searching the streets where his brothers should have come up and still Donatello had found no sign of them. He was close to tears by this point. Maybe he'd have to admit that this time they weren't going to be ok. He wanted to know what had happened to them but was too scared to re-enter the sewers in case the foot were still down there. It had taken him long enough to lose them last time and he wasn't sure he could do it again. So that left him alone, with nothing to go on, and not even the beginnings of a plan on how to make this right.

Donnie wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and stay hidden until everything had gone back to normal. But that wasn't an option. He had to stay strong for his brothers, and for April. Whatever had happened it was up to him to find out the truth. Of course, before that there was still the task of telling Mr O'Neil that his daughter was missing. If Don got out of that meeting alive then maybe he could work on getting his brothers back.

He crept through the shadows towards April's house, always cautious but even more so tonight. The lights in the apartment were on and Donnie could hear the radio being played from the kitchen. He knew that it was way past April's curfew and Mr O'Neil was probably going out his mind with worry. Donnie was only sorry that he couldn't easy those worries, that he could only make them worse.

Don knocked quietly on the door and it flew open straight away as if April's dad had been standing right by it in expectation. The look of fury on the man's face quickly turned to fear as he saw Donatello alone on his doorstep looking as if something was terribly wrong. Without a word he ushered the turtle inside and closed the door behind them, creating a barrier to keep the rest of the world out.

"What happen?" he asked as soon as they were safely locked away. Don looked at him mournfully.

"We were attacked. The foot found the lair… I don't know how… We were completely outnumbered."

"Where's April?"

"I…"

"Donatello," Mr O'Neil said sharply, "Where is my daughter?"

"I don't know! I think the Shredder has her. We split up and now everyone else has disappeared and I have no idea what happened to them." As he spoke, Donnie felt a few tears roll down his checks and he rubbed at them furiously, feeling completely pathetic. The blood drained from Mr O'Neil's face and he sank slowly into a nearby dining chair.

"She's… gone?" he asked quietly and Donnie could only nod in reply. For several minutes neither of them said anything, lost in their own despair. Outside the night was dark and cold, the kind of night that you wouldn't want to be out alone in, but if Donnie was honest he'd rather be out there were he could run off his guilt than in here with the father of the girl he'd failed.

"What are we going to do?" asked Mr O'Neil, finally breaking the silence. He didn't sound angry, which Donnie had been expecting, he simply sounded… empty. In many ways that was worse.

The truth was, Donnie didn't know what they were going to do. He literally had no idea where to go from here. It was funny really – he prided himself on being the intelligent one but it seemed like he was the worse when it came to actually thinking. Give him a broken computer and he'd have it fixed in a day but ask him anything practical, how to infiltrate an enemy base, how to take down a difficult enemy, and he was completely at a loss. He'd proven that before, hadn't he? That whole incident with him and Mikey being called the B-team. A million different ideas, each more ludicrous than the last.

Leo was the one who came up with the plans, who could think clearly even when stressed, who kept that whole team together. He knew that if it was Leo here not him then the other turtle would already be outlying a plan. Leo would know exactly what needed to be done and how to do it. And Raph of course, maybe not so much a planner, but certainly not one for sitting around moping. Raph would probably have got to them already. He had a habit of rushing straight in with no clear heading and somehow coming out the other end. Even Mikey would give it a good go. Optimistic to the last and hyperactive at the best of times, Mikey wouldn't be able to rest until he'd done something and even if he didn't quite get it right, Don was willing to bet that in the end it would work out for him. Anyone of them in his situation would be able to do something.

But none of them were here. Donnie was on his own and as he looked at the man who was asking for his guidance, something clicked inside him. It was down to him now and he had to do _something. _He turned to look at the city, his eyes falling on a dumpster at the end of the street and the beginnings of a smile forming on his face.

"Don't worry Mr O'Neil. I have a plan."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I needed to introduce Karai somehow, hence the rather random nature of this chapter...

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A lone figure raced across the New York roofs, keeping to the shadows. Occasionally it would pause as if checking to see if it was being followed. Keeping low to the roof, the figure moved swiftly, completely comfortable in the urban environment. And suddenly the figure stopped. If anyone had been watching, they would have seen the shadow leap from the roof of one of the buildings onto the top windowsill and quickly enter through the window. But on that night nobody was watching.

Inside the building, the man simply known as Teacher sat with his back to the window. He stiffened as he felt a presence enter the room but after a moment relaxed again as if he had recognised the intruder. The other person in the room moved forward and bowed respectively in front of him.

"Teacher," the ninja greeted. Teacher turned slightly to look at his young visitor and smiled warmly.

"Karai. It has been too long."

"For that I am sorry, Teacher," said Karai, "My father forbade me from coming to see you."

"And yet… you are here."

"Yes. I need your help."

"Perhaps you do. Or perhaps not," said Teacher slowly, "Perhaps you wish to trap me or coerce me into joining the Foot." Karai's head snapped up, her face stricken.

"No! I would never betray you!" she insisted. Teacher seemed almost amused by her comments but merely nodded his head in agreement.

"I trust you. But I wonder, how many of those you once called 'friend' are still willingly to say the same? I sense you are here about the turtles, Karai," Teacher's voice was suddenly stern, "I have told you before that you cannot play them as you do. You must be sure of where your loyalties lie."

"I am, Teacher… or at least I was," Karai explained hesitantly, "Leonardo betrayed me and that hurt. I was convinced then that I was loyal only to my father. But…"

"You still care for Leonardo," stated Teacher with unnerving certainty.

"Yes. I'm not in love with him of anything, but I do like him. I think the Shredder has gone too far. I'm not sure if I can stand by and let him do as he has planned."

"Then do not. Fight against what you think is wrong."

"It's not that simple!" exclaimed Karai, "He's my father!" Teacher sighed and looked past Karai into the night sky.

"What is it that you want to ask me, Karai?" Karai hesitated and chose her next words carefully.

"If you have an enemy – someone who has wronged you greatly – do you have the right to punish them however you see fit? Even if your punishment may seem inhumane, like torture or… dissection?"

"Rights?" said Teacher incredulously, "Do not talk to me of rights. What right has any man to judge another? To say what their punishment should be? None! No, you do not talk of rights. Whether or not you are _able _to punish another for their crimes is another matter. And that is reliant on your own conscience."

"What do you mean?" asked Karai, confused.

"You must decide whether you are able to watch the turtles and their master be punished as the Shredder has planned. You must decide if you conscience allows it."

"What is the right thing to do?"

"Whatever your conscience tells you." Karai considered his words carefully. He was right of course – this was her decision and whatever she chose she would have to live with for the rest of her life. Eventually she nodded.

"Thank you, Teacher, you always give good advice." Teacher nodded in response and Karai left the room the same way she had entered it, disappearing into the dark.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **It's been ages since I last updated! Sorry about that. Huge thanks to anyone who's reading this, I'll try to update more frequencly from now on. The next few chapters might sem a bit odd, but don't worry we will go back an explain what Donnie's been doing!

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Mikey wasn't sure how long it had been. At least a week, he reckoned, but probably longer. The Shredder had been remarkably absent during the time they had been imprisoned here and it worried Mikey to not know what he was planning. He was also worried that if they didn't get out of here soon Raph would do something drastic. He elder brother was looking almost murderous. And there was still no sign of Donnie.

Mikey glanced at April and sighed. April was just a normal teenaged girl – not trained since birth like him and his brothers were. He felt incredibly guilty for involving her in their problems and getting her captured when she had done nothing to the Shredder personally. When she'd first woken up she'd been strangely positive and upbeat but now she barely said a word. He twisted his body so he could see her better.

"Hey, April, how are you feeling?" he asked softly. She raised her head and looked back at him with lifeless eyes. Mikey was tempted to look away just so he didn't have to look at those eyes, but he met her gaze reassuringly.

"About as good as I could be," she replied. Raph looked up at the sound of her voice and scowled. Mikey sensed danger and willed Leo to intervene before Raph had a chance to say something he'd later regret.

"Stop feeling so sorry for yourself!" Too late, Raph had already proven just how unsympathetic he could be, "The Shredder doesn't even care about you, and he'll probably let you go. We're the ones who have to worry."

"Raphael!" shouted Leo and Master Splinter simultaneously. April didn't respond; she looked like she hadn't even heard. Raph merely grunted in response. Surprisingly, Leo left it at that and they all fell into silence once more.

Their silence was broken by the sound of the heavy metal door being opened. Mikey snapped his head up in shock, and irrationally expected to find Donnie on the other side. Instead they were met with the Shedder, Dogpound close at his heels. At least they would finally find out what was going on, thought Mikey gloomily.

"Let us go!" Raph snarled, straining his arms against the chains in an attempt to launch himself at the man. The Shedder didn't even glance at him, instead coming to a stop in front of Master Splinter. An evil glint came into his eyes.

"My old enemy, finally helpless," he boasted, "After all these years you were so easy to defeat – it's almost disappointing."

"Do whatever you want with me, Saki, but let the others go." The Shredder's face twisted at the mention of his real name and his hand snapped out to curl around Splinter's neck. Cries of outrage sounded from the turtles.

"You don't get it, do you? It's not only about you anymore. Your mutants have wronged me also."

"Then what are you planning to do?" asked Splinter calmly. Shredder smirked and slowly withdrew his hand from around the rat's neck.

"I was going to just kill you. That would have satisfied my need for revenge. But then I thought of something better. A friend of mine, a doctor back in Japan, has been looking into unusual phenomena for quite some time. He seemed quite excited when I told him I had discovered some real life mutants. He offered me a rather large sum of money to take them off my hands. Seemed to think they'd be useful for some… experiments he wants to run." The turtles and Master Splinter visibly paled and Shredder smiled in satisfaction.

"You… can't do that!" exclaimed Leo, "It's barbaric!" The Shredder waved his hand dismissively.

"What about April?" said Mikey suddenly, "I mean, I know why you want us, but April hasn't done anything to you. Why not let her go?"

The Shredder turned to him in mild surprise.

"They said you were the stupid one," he commented blandly, "But that actually wasn't a stupid question. And you're right; the girl hasn't done anything to me. She's my insurance. As long as she's here all of you will behave – otherwise she's in trouble."

"And afterwards?" Splinter asked, "What happens to her then?"

"I'm sure her family will be eager for her return – perhaps they'll even provide me with money as a reward. You would like to go home, wouldn't you my dear?" April raised her head and glared at the man. Mikey was relieved to see that she hadn't lost all of her fire.

"You're despicable," she spat, "You'll never get away with this!"

"Language," warned Shredder with a chuckle, "You don't want to get on my bad side." He turned to leave but was stopped by Raph.

"What about Donnie? Where's out brother?!" he shouted.

"The purple-masked turtle? I don't actually know. I was going to let you think he was dead, but this is better I think…" He faced them once more and Mikey was scared by the dark humour in his eyes. "He's not here. It's been almost two weeks and he's still not here. How does it feel knowing that your brother has abandoned you?"

With that, the villain swept from the room leaving the prisoners alone with their thoughts once more.


End file.
